Fallacy
by dark-ninja-ayane
Summary: Ichimaru's old subordinate has recently become the 3rd Squad captain. Intrigued by her zanpakutou's mysterious reiatsu, Aizen devises a plan to bring her over to his side, but will her loyalty to her former captain prove to be his biggest obstacle?


**dna: **Okay, so... basically, this story is replacing the previous Bleach fic I had posted up in 2006. Anyone who read the old one should disregard it completely. The only thing that's the same in this fic is the main OC's name (even her personality is completely different -_-) Anyway, I've had the idea for this fic floating around in my head for a while now (before Gin's change of heart was shown in the manga :P) and decided to finally expand on it and make it into a story.

IMPORTANT: This story takes place about a month after the SS arc.

Also, I just want to clear this up right from the start... this is **not** a GinOC fic. Any romance in this story will, for the most part, be GinRan :P

**Fallacy Chapter 1 – The Arrancar Experiment**

_-100 Years Ago-_

"_There ya are. I've been lookin' for ya."_

"_Ah, you're that shinigami from before… Gin…"_

"_Ya remembered my name."_

"… _How'd you find me?" _

"_Yer leakin' yer reiastsu everywhere. Makes it hard _not _to find ya."_

_The girl stared blankly at the shinigami before her._

_Ichimaru let out a loud, exaggerated sigh. "Look at ya. Yer all beat up again," he said as he handed her a dried persimmon. "Here. Eat up."_

_Shyly, the girl reached out and took the persimmon. _

"_Why don'tcha come with me? You'd be much better off than bein' here. You'll be able to control yer power and become a shinigami like me."_

"_I don't want to…" the girl mumbled. _

"_Ya that scared 'f yer own power? Jus' cuz ya don't use it ain't gonna make it go away."_

"_I'm not scared…"_

"_That so?" Ichimaru turned to leave. "What's yer name?"_

"… _Kitsumane Hidaya."_

"Captain, are you in here?" came Kira's voice followed by a couple knocks on the door.

She looked up, slightly startled out of her thoughts by the sudden interruption. "Yeah, come in." The door quietly opened, her lieutenant entering. "What is it, Izuru?"

"A hell butterfly has informed me to let you know that a mandatory meeting for all captains will be held promptly," he replied.

"Right now?" Hidaya asked rhetorically as she got up and headed out of the office. "I'll leave things here to you then."

"Yes."

-Moments Later-

All the captains were gathered and stood quietly, waiting for the captain commander to begin the meeting.

"As you all are aware, recently, there have been a number of mysterious disappearances within the Gotei 13," Yamamoto said. "Until today, we were unable to trace any of the missing shinigami's reiatsu."

"Wait," Ukitake interrupted, surprised, "so that means they've been found?"

"My department has been able to track down a few of the missing shinigami… in the living world," Kurotsuchi explained.

"The living world? Are you sure?" Kyouraku asked, also surprised by the unexpected information.

"Of course I am," Kurotsuchi retorted. "Are you doubting my intelligence network?"

"Quiet!" Yamamoto ordered, silencing the room. "In addition to Kurotsuchi Mayuri's report, there have been confirmed sightings by Lieutenant Abarai Renji of the Sixth Squad and Kuchiki Rukia of the Thirteenth Squad who were sent to verify the situation." He paused, getting ready to clarify the reason he had them all gathered in his office. "According to the data gathered by the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, hollow powers have been detected in all twenty-eight of the missing shinigami. Ignoring the six that were detected and dealt with in the human world, the other twenty-two… were detected in Seireitei."

An alarmed look came over everyone's faces.

"All squads are to patrol their assigned areas. Anyone who comes in contact with the rogue shinigami is to kill them."

Ukitake immediately spoke out. "But Genryuusai-dono—"

"They can no longer recognize friend from foe!" Yamamoto said, cutting him off. "Our priority is to protect Seireitei, not to sympathize with the enemy! Until the situation is stabilized, Seireitei is to be under strict surveillance! If you see an enemy, cut him down!"

No one objected to the Captain Commander's orders.

"Dismissed!"

As Yamamoto watched each of the captains file out of his office, his eyes landed on the "three" on the back of one of the captain's haori.

"Third Squad Captain Kitsumane Hidaya," he called, stopping her. "May I have a word with you?"

Both Ukitake and Kyouraku glanced back before leaving the room. The way the Commander had asked, it was more of an order than a request.

Yamamoto waited until the doors were closed before he began to speak. "As you are aware, a total of twenty-eight shinigami went missing."

Hidaya listened silently.

"Of those twenty-eight… twenty were reported to be missing from the Third Squad alone."

Hidaya seemed surprised but stood calmly under the old man's hard glare. "I… I was unaware."

"You were unaware that twenty men suddenly disappeared from your squad?" he questioned. "That's quite a feat. Were you also oblivious to all of the gossip about it within your own division?"

Hidaya lowered her gaze, not liking the direction of the conversation if one could call it such. It was sounding much more like an accusation.

"Are you suspecting me?" she asked bluntly.

"Do I have reason not to?" Yamamoto replied.

Hidaya didn't respond to the Captain Commander's question. She had nothing to say. Yamamoto was right. She really _had _been oblivious to everything. For the past month since Hidaya became a captain, she had passed each of her days absorbing herself with thoughts of her former captain's whereabouts and intentions for betraying Soul Society. She hardly thought she was fit for the role of captain, but that didn't mean she had a reason to abduct her subordinates.

Yamamoto lifted his hard gaze and walked up to Hidaya. "Mourning the loss of your former captain does not exempt you from your responsibilities. You accepted the title of 'captain'. It is time you started acting like one."

The old man wasn't blind to the fact that Hidaya had grown numb to most things over the past month. Perhaps his words didn't hit her as hard as he intended them to, but he knew it still struck a nerve. After all, it was _because_ of Ichimaru that she was promoted. As far as Yamamoto knew, that was the main, if not the only reason Hidaya agreed to accept the position of captain. That was precisely the problem though. Hidaya certainly accepted the _position_ of captain, but she failed to accept any of the work and responsibility that went along with it. In a time when Soul Society was at its most vulnerable, Yamamoto needed her to become a leader, not someone who only carried the title of one.

"I'm sorry," Hidaya apologized, bowing. "I understand."

But Yamamoto had to wonder, did she really? She didn't seem to have a single quality of a captain other than her strength, and that was something that even the Captain Commander himself had never truly witnessed.

"If you understand, then you may go," the old man finally said after a moment of silence, dismissing her.

Hidaya gave a small, customary bow before turning around and leaving his office, leisurely making her way out of the First Squad building. Just as she stepped through the exit, she found herself greeted by two captains.

"Yo, Hidaya-chan."

The young girl looked slightly surprised. "Captain Kyouraku, Ukitake-san," she replied. "Did you need something from me?"

"Nope, nothing of that sort," the straw-hat captain said with a light attitude. "We're just here to escort you back to your building."

Hidaya gave a confused look but walked with them nonetheless.

"Did Yama-jii give you a hard time?" Kyouraku asked as the three of them casually made their way down the streets of Seireitei.

"Not really…" she replied, trailing off a bit awkwardly.

"Genryuusai-dono may seem intimidating at times, but don't let him frighten you. He has good intentions," Ukitake told her with an assuring smile.

Hidaya didn't know the Captain Commander well enough to agree with or refute the man's claims. The only thing she knew for sure was that Yamamoto had an overwhelming presence and was not a person one would want to trifle with. However, she kept her opinions to herself. After all, she was only really close with two people, and one of them had slipped away from her without a word. Everyone else she kept at a distance, not because she wanted to, but simply because she found herself incapable of socializing and therefore trusting anyone enough to open herself up to. Having two captains suddenly converse with her as if they were old friends was something that made her feel awkward and uncomfortable.

"Things must be rough for you right now," Ukitake said, looking sympathetic. "You just became captain a month ago and now _this _is all happening… how are you doing?"

"Alright I suppose. It seems that Lieutenant Kira and the rest of the squad haven't recovered from that incident yet," she replied, referring to when Aizen and his two men betrayed Soul Society.

"Who _has_?" Kyouraku asked with a heavy sigh as he thought back.

"What about you, Kitsumane?" Ukitake asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm pulling through somehow."

"A captain has to stay strong for those who look up to him, but remember to take it easy once in a while too," Kyouraku said gently.

"That's right," his friend agreed. "If you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to us."

-Few Moments Later-

"Welcome back, Captain," Kira greeted with a small bow as Hidaya entered the office. "How did the meeting go?"

"Could've been better," she replied with a sigh as she sat down at her desk and picked up one of the three stacks of overdue paperwork she still had to finish.

"I've already finished all the paperwork," the lieutenant informed.

"Oh, really?" Hidaya asked, sounding slightly surprised.

Kira looked at her fatigued face, the same one she had worn ever since she learned of Ichimaru's disappearance. "You look very tired, Captain. Perhaps you should get some sleep," he suggested.

"No, it's fine," she replied.

It was barely noticeable, but Kira noticed the solemn look on Hidaya's face.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

Hidaya looked at him for a while before speaking. "You don't have to speak so formally to me, Izuru. After all, you've been my superior for such a long time."

Kira stared at her for a while before looking away. "You're a captain now. When I address you, I should address you as such."

"If you're more comfortable that way, I suppose…" Hidaya set down the pile of paperwork she had picked up earlier. _'Can't blame him for not being able to accept me as the new captain… can't say I'm used to it either…' _She got up and walked over to the couch. "I think I'm going to try and rest after all," she told Kira as she lied down.

"I'll take my leave then, Captain," he replied respectfully with a bow before leaving the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

…

"_Gin," Hidaya called as she looked around the field where she had been instructed to go. "Gin, where are you?"_

"_Shoot to kill, Shinsou."_

_Sensing the sword closing in from behind, Hidaya quickly jumped and dodged to the left as she pulled out her zanpakutou, readying herself to either defend or attack depending on Ichimaru's next move. She stood where she was, on high alert for any changes in her environment. Suddenly, Ichimaru's reiatsu appeared beside her. Shinsou elongated once more, but Hidaya quickly slammed her sword against it and deflected it away. Ichimaru took a swift step back as Hidaya slashed at her captain, missing._

_The two stared at each other as Hidaya once again stayed on high alert, intensely watching her captain's every move. From Ichimaru's stance, it seemed he was ready to attack again… but suddenly, he straightened himself and sheathed Shinsou. The overwhelming presence he had before was gone._

"_Watcha lookin' so serious for?" he asked with his usual smile. _

_Hidaya sheathed her sword as well and walked over to where her captain stood. "That was a bit dangerous, don't you think? What if you really hit me?"_

"_Ya doubtin' my control over Shinsou?" Ichimaru asked. "Yer skills've really been improvin', haven't they?" He patted her on the head._

"_Stop that!" Hidaya demanded as she swatted his hand away._

_Ichimaru chuckled. "Nice to know I've got someone I can trust th' Squad to if anythin' ever happened."_

_Hidaya gave the silver-haired man a questioning look. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_Nothin'. Jus' musin' to myself a bit. That's all. By the way," he said, changing the subject, "the one who was bein' dangerous was _you_, wasn't it? Fightin' Shinsou without releasin' yer zanpakutou…" _

"_It's not like that."_

_Suddenly, she felt something push through her abdomen as her clothes became soaked with a warm, thick liquid. Hidaya looked down to see the sword that had pierced her along with the blood that was oozing out of her wound and dripping onto the ground. Her eyes, wide with horror, traced the sword back to the hands of its owner. Paralyzed with disbelief, all she could do was stare at the man who smirked sinisterly at her._

"_Don't be so arrogant."_

"… _G-Gin…"_

_Ichimaru retracted Shinsou and Hidaya fell to her hands and knees before him. She put a hand firmly on her wound as she managed to lift her head to meet the cold, merciless eyes of her captain who stared down at her._

"_Even if ya trained for another thousand years, ya ain't gotta chance 'f beatin' me."_

_She watched as Ichimaru lifted Shinsou and brought its tip straight down through her heart in one swift motion._

"Ahh!" Hidaya let out a small, startled cry as she was abruptly awakened by the pain she felt in her dream. Catching her breath, she pressed her hand against her chest and glanced down at her abdomen, almost as if to make sure that Shinsou stabbing through her had really only been a dream…

-Meanwhile-

The Tenth Squad building gradually came into view as Kira patrolled his usual route. Just as he was about to pass by, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Hey, Kira! What're you walking around so early in the morning for?" It was Matsumoto.

The blond man walked up to the window the woman had shouted from. "It's already noon," he told her.

"Eh? Really? I guess you're right," she replied as she looked up at the sun in the sky. "Then let's drink some sake together!"

"I can't. I'm patrolling right now."

Matsumoto frowned disappointedly. "You're so boring," she pouted with a sigh.

"And you're lazy," came Hitsugaya's voice from behind her. "Aren't you supposed to be leading the first patrol unit right now?"

The startled Matsumoto turned around. "Captain! You scared me!"

"Good morning, Captain Hitsugaya," Kira greeted with a bow as he saw the young man through the opened window.

The young captain nodded in acknowledgement as he made his way next to his lieutenant. Seeing Kira reminded him of the newly appointed captain. Hitsugaya had never spoken to her before. He recalled seeing her around the Tenth Squad estate with Matsumoto before, but other than that, he never saw her outside the meetings in Yamamoto's office. However, despite all of that, Matsumoto had managed to make him sympathetic toward her.

"_She was really close with Captain Ichimaru,"_ she had told him. _"He sent her away and left without a word. I can only imagine how devastated she must feel…"_

'_Devastated.'_ That was the word that struck Hitsugaya and made him feel sympathetic toward Hidaya. He had seen how Aizen's betrayal had _'devastated'_ Hinamori, and though Matsumoto would never let it show as easily as his childhood friend, Ichimaru's betrayal also played its fair share of _'devastation'_ on her. He also had the Third Squad lieutenant as another example of the word, not to mention the Ninth Squad lieutenant, Hisagi Shuuhei, as well as the Seventh Squad captain, Komamura Sajin. Everyone had been devastated. Even Hitsugaya himself.

Hitsugaya opened his mouth to ask Kira how his new captain was managing but before a single word could leave his mouth, a sudden wave of reiatsu came crashing down on him. The three shinigami glanced at each other, eyes wide with shock. The reiatsu they felt unmistakably belonged to shinigami, but there was no doubt that there were traces of hollow reiatsu mixed in with it.

"The rogue shinigami?" Matsumoto asked.

"And this reiatsu is coming from…" Kira trailed off as he gazed into the distance at the all-too-familiar building.

-Third Squad Building-

"ARRGHHHHH!"

The screams of the panicked shinigami broke the calm, peaceful day as they were torn apart by the overwhelming power of the rogue shinigami. The higher ranked members of the Third Squad were scattered in the courtyard of their estate, unorganized, protecting the weaker members from the attacks of their stronger opponents.

"Wh… what should we do?" one of the shinigami asked as he and the others backed away nervously. "Those are the missing members of our squad, aren't they?"

The other shinigami didn't reply. They didn't have to. No one had the heart to suddenly fight their former comrades to the death, but they knew they didn't have a choice. It was kill or be killed… but even knowing that didn't rid them of their hesitation.

Finally, one shinigami worked up the courage to start the assault. With his zanpakutou gripped tightly in his trembling hand, he blindly charged at the rogue shinigami. The rogue shinigami caught the blade with his bare hand and pulled it to the side before suddenly discharging an odd white substance from his face. The other shinigami watched in horror as their enemy's body ripped apart in various places, consumed inside out by the white substance emerging from his body. It wasn't long before they saw he had completely transformed into a hollow.

"What the—!" But the man's sentence was cut short when all twenty-one of the other rogue shinigami began to undergo the same horrific transformation before their very eyes.

The shinigami that had charged in could only stare, paralyzed with shock and fear as the hollow opened its mouth and got ready to devour him. He squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation as his head entered the hollow's mouth, but the pain he was expecting never came. Hearing the surprised gasps of his fellow comrades, he cracked opened his eyes and was temporarily blinded by the pure, white fabric floating in his line of vision. The tip of the cloth settled to reveal the black "three" of his captain's haori.

Hidaya had never been seen as a true captain, even by the members of her own squad, but this one instance changed everything. A vision of Ichimaru flashed through everyone's mind as they gazed upon the "three" boldly standing out on Hidaya's white cloak. The image of her back as she stood as a wall between her enemies and her subordinates was powerful enough to send a surge of newfound strength and courage flowing through their bodies. It felt like they finally had a captain again. Everything would be okay… but the feeling soon died away when Hidaya pulled her zanpakutou out of the hollow's body and watched it fall to the ground before it disintegrated into the air. Their fellow squad member had just been slain by their new captain.

"Are you okay?" Hidaya asked the shinigami she had just saved.

"Y-yes ma'am," he stammered.

Before the shinigami had time to recompose themselves, the group of hollows jumped at them, ready to tear them apart as they had done earlier with the shinigami laying on the ground. Everyone had their zanpakutou drawn, prepared to defend themselves from the attackers.

"Get back," Hidaya said, confusing everyone.

"Wh… what?" one of her men asked.

"I'm ordering you to retreat," she replied, a sense of urgency clear beneath the calm tone she had used. "Get the injured to the Fourth Squad. Everyone else step back. I'll handle it from here."

They watched Hidaya block an oncoming attack and slash at another hollow that had jumped at her. The shinigami looked at each other, hesitant about following the orders they had been given. Was it really alright for them to, in a sense, abandon the captain to save themselves? Even if they were still attached to their old captain, she had been a fellow squad member for as long as they could remember.

Hidaya's head whipped around in surprise when she heard the sound of steel clashing with the hierro of the hollows. "What're you doing?"

"Our deepest apologies, Captain, but we can't run away!" one of them answered, blocking a punch from one of the hollows with his zanpakutou.

"Watch out!" Hidaya warned as she pointed two fingers at man who had just spoken. "Hadou 4: Byakurai!" A loud crackle could be heard as the blinding electricity shot out of her fingers and raced toward the man. He watched as the bolt of lightning darted inches away from his face and into the hollow behind him, knocking it a good ten feet or so away.

"Raise your head, Wabisuke!"

Hidaya looked to the entrance to see Kira slice through a hollow as he rushed in with Matsumoto and Hitsugaya following him.

"Growl, Haineko!" Matsumoto's sword turned to dust and surrounded one of the hollows. With a flick of her wrist, Haineko shredded the through its hierro, making blood spray out of its body.

Before Hidaya could open her mouth to acknowledge any of the three, she was once again attacked by the surrounding hollows. She focused her attention on the one in front of her, knocking away its punch with her left arm and slashing down through its wide-opened body with the sword in her right hand. Sensing something closing in from her right, she turned her head to see another hollow charging at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a second one just inches behind her. The hollow on her right reached out and tried to crush her with its hand, but Hidaya swiftly jumped back and dodged, deliberately slamming herself into the hollow behind her and knocking it off balance. Without wasting a second, she brought her sword diagonally down through the hollow's body. As it disintegrated, she turned around to attack the one behind her only to find that Hitsugaya had already taken care of it.

"Soar in the frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

The ice dragon practically exploded out the tip of the young captain's zanpakutou as he swung it down, instantly killing four of the hollows in front of him. As they disintegrated, Hidaya gained full view of the group of hollows jumping at her defenseless men. She held her hand out, ready to fire a kidou in their direction, but the balls of red energy gathering at each of the hollows' mouths abruptly stopped her.

"It's Cero!" Kira gasped as he rushed to aid his friends.

"What're you guys doing? Get out of there!" Matsumoto yelled to the frightened shinigami.

Hidaya frowned in frustration, her grip on her zanpakutou tightening.

"Strike, Raihou."

Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and Kira, all startled and alarmed at the abrupt emergence of an unusual reiatsu, looked at Hidaya who had used her shunpo to step in front of the hollows. There was a sudden deafening '_boom'_ before an explosion went off a split second later between her and her enemies. As the smoke and dust slowly settled, everyone could see that the few hollows that had escaped obliteration were blown back with severe burn injuries on their bodies. Hidaya didn't give them the chance to recover as she prepared to attack again, pointing her zanpakutou in the direction of the hollows.

"Jinrai."

A sliver of blue electricity darted across the air and disappeared just as quickly as it had emerged. Within milliseconds, another explosion went off with a roaring _'boom'_. The strange reiatsu vanished along with the dissipating hollows. Silence fell upon the group as Hidaya sheathed her zanpakutou away.

'_That reiatsu just now…'_ Hitsugaya thought as he watched Hidaya, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"Izuru," Hidaya called, startling the blond man slightly. "Will you help them to the Fourth Squad?"

"R-right away!" he replied as he rushed past his captain to help his injured friends to their feet. Kira glanced back at the black-haired woman from the corner of his eyes, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The strange reiatsu emerged the moment Hidaya had released her shikai and disappeared the moment she deactivated it, but it didn't _have_ to mean anything. It could've been purely coincidental… or so he tried to tell himself.

Hitsugaya watched Hidaya make her way up to him.

"Thank you for your assistance," she told him.

The white-haired captain nodded in response, feeling a bit awkward from hearing a fellow captain speak so properly to him. "I'll handle the report to the Captain Commander."

"No, that's not necessary," Hidaya declined, not wanting to burden him. "I'll—"

"I said I'll handle it," Hitsugaya interrupted. He noticed Hidaya's slightly surprised reaction and realized how stern he sounded toward her. "Your men are injured," he said in a gentler tone this time. "You should be helping them to the Fourth Squad instead of worrying about reporting to the Captain Commander." Hitsugaya turned to his lieutenant. "Let's go, Matsumoto."

"Yes sir," she promptly replied, exchanging a quick glance with Hidaya before following her captain away.

"Captain Hitsugaya," Hidaya called, stopping both him and Matsumoto as they turned to face her. "Thank you," she said with a small, respectful bow.

-Few Moments Later, Tenth Squad Office-

The door to the office opened while Matsumoto was combining the two stacks of paperwork she had been working on.

"Ah, welcome back, Captain," she greeted as Hitsugaya walked in.

The young captain's eyes immediately locked onto the stack of papers in his lieutenant's hands. "No way, you actually did the paperwork?" he asked, feigning amazement.

"How mean, Captain! I can be hardworking when I feel like it!"

"If only you felt that way more often," Hitsugaya muttered in response.

The strawberry-blonde woman watched her captain walk up to the window and gaze outside.

"What did Captain Commander Yamamoto say about the report?" she asked curiously.

"He said the Research and Development Institute was already investigating the incident," Hitsugaya replied, not removing his eyes from the view outside.

"Investigating…?" Matsumoto repeated. Her gaze fell to the floor as her hands unconsciously clenched themselves tighter. There was no doubt in her mind that the rogue shinigami weren't the only things being looked into. She couldn't help but feel anxious about the other thing the institute was probably investigating as well.

"Hey."

Hitsugaya's voice startled her out of her thoughts as she looked up to see him staring at her.

"Stop crumpling up the paperwork."

Matsumoto looked at the papers that were practically being crushed in her hand and quickly loosened her grip. "Ah, sorry!" she apologized as she set them down on the desk beside her.

"We still have orders to patrol the area," Hitsugaya told her as he headed toward the door.

"Understood. I'll take the first patrol unit and leave immediately," she replied. She watched as the white-haired boy opened the door. "Cap… Captain…"

Hitsugaya stopped. "What is it?"

"A-about the strange reiatsu…" the woman hesitated. "… You don't really think it was Captain Kitsumane, do you?"

The boy turned to look at his lieutenant. "Matsumoto…"

"That reiatsu… it disappeared along with the hollows, so it's possible that it didn't belong to her, right?"

Hitsugaya didn't respond right away. The troubled look on Matsumoto's face told him that she already knew the answer regardless of what he chose to tell her. The white-haired captain sighed quietly to himself. He deeply cared about his lieutenant, so seeing her in so much distress pained him as well.

Hitsugaya looked away from Matsumoto. "Yeah… you're right," he finally replied, turning to leave.

-Meanwhile, In Las Noches-

Aizen withdrew his hand from the hollow's head.

"Hmph… interesting…"

"What is?" came an unexpected voice.

Aizen turned toward the voice and saw the silver-haired man step out from the shadow in the dark end of the room.

"Gin," Aizen said as he watched his colleague make his way next to him.

Gin looked down and saw the hollow, burn injuries evident on the left side of its body. His expression was unchanging, his smile as daunting as always as he stared down at the inferior creature.

"So one of 'em managed to escape from Soul Society," Ichimaru stated. "Looks like th' Arrancar experiment was a waste."

"Not completely. Thanks to this one's ability, I can fully relive its memories," Aizen replied, earning Ichimaru's full attention. "It seems an intriguing person has surfaced."

"Really." His tone posed a statement rather than a question.

"While her reiatsu itself is clean of all hollow powers… her zanpakutou released nothing _but _the reiatsu of a hollow."

Ichimaru didn't show any kind of reaction to the news.

"I believe you're quite familiar with her," the brown-haired man continued. "Former third seat of the Third Squad… Kitsumane Hidaya."

The tall, skinny man's expression remained unchanging. "Ahh, her," Ichimaru replied, unfazed by Aizen's sharp gaze.

* * *

**A/N:** I debated with myself during the few months it took to think up and write this chapter whether to use 'captain' or 'taichou'. At first, I decided on 'taichou' since I was more used to it but changed it to 'captain' at the last minute -_- I think more people are used to seeing 'captain' instead of 'taichou' anyway, right? :P

Also, you've probably already noticed, but I'm terrible with fight scenes. Please bare with it as this story is supposed to have multiple fight scenes T-T

Anyway, if you have time, please leave a review and give some feedback. They make my day :)


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